A process for the separation and purification of phycobiliproteins

The invented method allows to purify phycobiliproteins, extracted from cyanobacteria and algae with aqueous solvents, applying Membrane Chromatography (MC). The MC process is performed using hydrophilic PVDF membranes, and inducing selective and reversible protein-membrane interactions by an anti-chaotropic salt, such as ammonium sulphate. Changing ammonium sulphate concentration it is possible to selectively separate the various phycobiliproteins present in the biomass extract and, applying the appropriate number of MC steps, to achieve the desired purity, up to the analytical grade (P≥4).